Green Requiem
by YamiTenshi
Summary: Part Four of the Color Symphony. The end has come. Nothing stands in the way of decisions both right and wrong. The closer their hearts get, the closer they all become to destruction. When the pages run out, only one man will be triumphant.


Green Requiem

Ah, finally, the conclusion! I had the hardest time deciding who was going to be writing for this. My readers suggested great things, like Sakura because of her closeness to the boys, Tsunade as she's a mother figure to Naruto and wants what's best for him, and even Gaara again to close the circle. For that, I thank you all. I made my decision.

0o0

_I've done it. My goal is one step closer to its realization. The adrenaline flowing through my veins is unbelievable. My heart is racing a mile a minute, I can barely hold my pen still for the excitement. God, this is so much better than the time I tried opium! Nothing can match this ecstasy. I don't think I've ever felt as alive as I do now. My chakra is boiling, reflecting my mood, spilling out of my skin, sparking blue because I'm riding so high. I can't control it, it keeps coming in bigger and bigger waves, god, I'm going to blow up my room at this rate, but I don't care, I captured him, I have him, we're together again, I did it, I'm not a failure, I have him within my grasp—fuck! I have to cool down!_

_God, that was intense. I had to run outside and let my chakra out in a huge explosion and it hurt so bad, I screamed so loud I thought I was going to rupture my own eardrums, but that doesn't matter. I have Naruto. I captured him, brought him back to my side where he rightfully belongs. I'm sweaty and tired—not weak, never weak—but I have him. He's in his room, the one I made special for him, that dark little room with so many layers of chakra suppression scrolls embedded in the wall that even his mighty Kyuubi is rendered useless. It's a shame, I guess, that I can't see that animalistic rage and that I can't use any jutsu of my own when I go in there, but I'll manage somehow. I've got my sword if worse comes to worst and he has nothing but his fists and those are chained up. _

_I can't wait to see how he'll react when I walk in there for the first time. I'm going to feed him soon, monja fry and an offer of freedom in exchange for his loyalty. I know that he won't accept it right away, he's still got his inner fire driving him like it drives me, but we have the upper hand. We decided that though he's our prisoner and we should be treating him like absolute garbage, he should get a ration of water daily and one meal every half-week. There are no ramen stands nearby, so he'll be managing on monja fry, weak broth, and maybe some vegetables now and then. It's the cheapest way to maintain him, plus the lack of daily feeding will wear him down. Hunger will set in. We wouldn't starve him, no, that'd be going too far, damaging the goods, but soon that empty stomach will be desperately begging to be filled. His judgment will be less biased. He won't resist as much. Easier to break. He'll be fighting on my side soon enough._

_Karin found his diary when we sacked his apartment, but I haven't read it yet. I might let him have it as an act of mercy. Punishment must be balanced with rewards or I won't make progress. I have the patience. I can wait forever. He's already made me wait this long and that's half an eternity to me. My mind is already made up. There must be a savage light to my darkness, one to guide me so that I do not stumble now my eyes are closed to salvation. He must descend to my level, become fallen as I have. Then, only then, we will rise together in fiery glory like a pfenix and all will be in awe of us, me and him together at last. They will fear us. They will love us. And I will keep Naruto by my side until the day we die because we shan't be parted again._

_It's time to feed the dobe._

_He complained. He actually wasn't very angry. It seemed like he was expecting me to pull something like this. He tried to lash out at me a couple of times, but his heart wasn't in it. The one big 'assault' he attempted was trying to piss on me when I told him that I wouldn't be giving him any ramen unless he agreed to join us. Such a dumb fuck. _

_No, not dumb, unreasonable is more like it. Stubborn. Pigheaded. People say that about me too. (Never to my face, of course, I'd kill them in a heartbeat.) Speaking of which, that's what Naruto called me. A stubborn, stupid teme. Even though I'm imprisoning him, there should be a measure of courtesy between us as captive and jailor. Does he even realize that I can make his life hell? _

_Of course he does. He's daring me to do my worst. _

_Don't tempt me, Uzumaki. I can show you just how unpleasant I can make your stay._

_Karin is calling. Says the dobe threw monja fry at her head when she went in to give him his chamber pot. I didn't think he'd recover so quickly. I knocked him out with my sword after the pissing incident. I suppose that's part of who he is, the tenacious fool. I told Karin that I'd punish him in a bit. But what to do? Beat him? That's uninventive. And I don't want to start the head games prematurely. I have to wait a few days for that. So what to do?_

_I know…_

_Sometimes my own brilliance amazes me. I've really outdone myself this time. He started yelling at me when I went in, but he shut up as soon as I started reading his diary aloud. I only read a few pages (excluding anything about ramen), but I made my point. There wasn't anything too incriminating, but the fear of me finding something that is will be weighing heavily on his mind all night. It's moments like this that make me love being me. Wonder if I should read ahead a little to decide what I'll recite for him tomorrow. That'll make my job easier._

_Here's an interesting bit:_

'_Today Neji took me to see a movie. It was about a woman who lived in a haunted house and it was __**really, really**__ scary. He's got red marks on his arm from me squeezing it so hard. I hate ghosts! They creep me out. I'm making Neji spend the night in case there are ghosts in my apartment. I'm kinda surprised we can both fit in my bed. I always thought it was too small for two people, but even though the fit is a little snug, we're perfectly comfortable. At least, he __**claims**__ he is, he could be lying just to be polite. But Neji's not really that kind of person. He'll say what's on his mind. He's just laying beside me, staring at the ceiling. He doesn't even ask me what I'm writing about._

_I like sharing a bed. I'll have to do it more often, probably with Neji. If I ask Sakura, she'll think I'm coming on to her and punch me into oblivion, and Sai… That's just a bad idea waiting to happen. Gaara is too far away and teme is gone. So it'll be Neji._

_Neji wants me to turn off the light. Goodnight.'_

_Isn't that peachy? Naruto's got himself a __**boyfriend.**__ Didn't he like Sakura? Who would've thought that Naruto was a queer? Seems like he's been keeping it a secret. I'll have to talk to him about it tomorrow. Not like I really care. I officially don't care what he does or who he loves as long as he's fighting on my side and his personal life doesn't affect our long-term goals._

_But somehow…_

_The fact that out of all those Konohan idiots he chose Hyuuga Neji annoys me. What's so special about that prissy bastard? Sure, he's got a kekkei genkai, but his battle skills simply aren't up to par. He lost to Naruto when he was __**twelve.**__ Do you __**know**__ how shitty a ninja Naruto was then? It makes no sense. Even Sakura would be better, I've seen her punches lately. When Sakura punches something __**it explodes.**__ Neji, not so much. He can twirl around and poke people as much as he wants, but nothing is going to change. Like I said, it makes no sense. Why would Naruto want to be with someone who was weak?_

_---_

_Today was decent. Naruto raised hell from the second I walked in, though the Neji passage had him fuming with silent embarrassment. He said they weren't together. Since he kept up his story while I whacked him around with my scabbard, I'm inclined to believe that they really are 'just friends'. Naruto doesn't lie. I still find it strange that he would share a bed with someone—let alone that Hyuuga trash—though._

_More practice with my Sharingan today. My eyes didn't bleed as much as last time. I've limited myself to practicing once a week because I'm not stupid. I'm not going to let myself go blind. _

_Otherwise, today was uneventful. That's not really that surprising. Life has been boring. I'm not worried about Madara and his Moon Eye plan because he's an idiot. The moon moves. He can't use the Sharingan on the entire world, Juubi be damned. Once Naruto rallies to my cause, we'll hunt that old bastard down and put an end to him. Then we'll go for Danzo next. And after that, the Kage will go down like dominos. I don't know about Naruto, but I'm raring for rematches with some of those assholes, especially that bitch Mizukage. I'll make her regret ever meeting me. And that Raikage… I'll burn off his other arm. That other old geezer of a Kage—who seriously needs to consider retirement—will probably drop dead in a couple of weeks anyway, so I'll let him slide unless he makes trouble._

_Ah, I suppose that leaves the great Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara. Former jinchuurki, carrier of Ichibi no Shukaku. He would've made a formidable ally, but after the tanuki was removed, he got weaker. Then he said that Naruto showed him the path of light or some other nonsense. He won't join me. Maybe he'll change his mind when Naruto becomes my second-in-command. They've got that whole jinchuurki bond going on. There's probably a way to implant Shukaku back in him as well._

_It's crucial that only the best of the best are allied with me. Weaklings will drag us down. Juugo, Suigetsu, and Karin have earned their spots in my empire. Now Naruto has to do the same._

I0I0I0I0I

**So… It's been about two and a half weeks. The teme let me have my diary back because I promised not to piss on him or yell at him when he comes in the cell he's got me locked up in. He would read from it every day, but I don't know if he got to anything too damaging, like Gaara's crush on me. That has the potential to end badly. It's a relief to have this again either way. It's the little comforts that matter when you're imprisoned. When I was traveling with ero-sennin, I was taken as collateral when he ran out of money and this is a palace compared to that craphole. I had to lay in my own piss and shit. Not to mention that they didn't feed me at all. Scraps every few days is better than nothing. I gotta keep my strength up. **

**I wish that the teme would bring me some ramen, though. I mean, even the microwavable stuff would be fine. Maybe it's just his way of torturing me subtly. **

**I guess I should be worried that no one has rescued me yet, but I can't say that I expected a next-day retrieval. First they have to realize that I'm gone, then they have to investigate, and **_**then**_** they'll send someone for me. Oh, maybe they'll send Neji! It'll be good to see him again. After all, going up against Sasuke is definitely an ANBU mission. No matter how much I hate to admit it, the teme has gotten good. Under different circumstances I would be beating him all around this place, but I can't use any jutsu and I'm chained to a wall. True, I can walk around and stuff, but these things are solid. I don't think they'd break if I beat them with a rock every waking minute I'm stuck in here. And I can't try to strangle him with the chains because a) the chains don't let me get anywhere near the door, where he usually stays and b) I can't get out even if I did. It's kind of a no-win situation. **

**This will be a test of my endurance.**

**(I still can't get over the fact that I don't have toilet paper. Maybe if I'm nice, teme will let me have some.)**

**I've been doing basic exercises so I don't get weak while I'm in here. Pushups, meditation, all that good stuff. I dig my muscles, so I don't want to lose them. Sometimes if the teme walks in on me, he'll challenge me. If I win, he feeds me something extra, like fried bean sprouts or bread or whatever happens to be laying around their base at the time. If I lose, then he makes fun of me. It's like old times, almost. Back then, of course, I wasn't chained up and I could smack him around if he pissed me off.**

**Still, I can't believe that he thought Neji and I were a couple. I mean, we're close, yeah, but friends can be like that. Teme and I were like that (sorta).**

**Oh, dammit, now I'm going to have the thought of me and Neji together on my mind until I see him again.**

**Teme asshole.**

I0I0I0I0I

_Naruto has grown more pliant over these three weeks. He eats without complaint and indulges in short conversations. He tries to ignore me when I ask why no one has tried to rescue him yet, but I know I'm getting to him. His fear of loneliness is easy to play on. I keep telling him that no one cares about him, not Sakura, not Neji, not that weird kid in the belly-shirt who looks an ungodly amount like me… I might as well be stabbing his soul. That's how much damage it's causing._

_The others think I spend too much time with him. At first it was just Karin, but lately Juugo and Suigetsu have been getting on my case too. I don't know why they care. So what if I mess with the dobe for a couple of hours? The neediness is unbecoming. They act like they can't operate independently of me. It's not like their lives are centered around me, even if they are my subordinates. Maybe they should get out more. Go to a market in that village a couple of miles away. Take a walk around the compound. Roam around aimlessly __**not bothering me.**__ Anything at all, as long as it doesn't involve annoying me half to death._

_I expected this from Karin, but Suigetsu and Juugo too? Is everyone losing their minds? Do they think we've got a conspiracy against them? I'm not about to throw them away because I've got the dobe now. They're still valuable to my cause. It's simply that the dobe is fun to be with, fun to tease, even if he does cheat at cards AND mahjong._

_I have to say…I've noticed that I'm more at peace when he's around. I can rest easy. We argue, yes, but it's all in good sport. _

_I exercise down there sometimes. I'll be working at my pace and the teme will call me pussy, so I'll start going faster, then he'll start doing the same thing as me and it turns into a challenge. It's fantastic. They'll understand why I regard him the way I do eventually._

_I think I'm ready to go mess with him again._

…_I do __**not**__ spend too much time with the teme._

I0I0I0I0I

**It's been five weeks and I can't stop thinking about it. Me and Neji? Would it be so bad? I do like him a lot. But could I be in love with him, cross that line from friend to something else? And I've got Gaara to think of as well.**

**I wish I could let my worries fly away. At least the teme can keep me occupied for a little while. He's been spending more and more time with me. I don't think that Karin girl likes it. She always glares at me when it's her turn to get my chamber pot. Or maybe that's because she has to clean up my shit. I'd probably be pretty mad if I had to do that too. I can't really blamer her for not liking me.**

**But it's kinda cool that teme doesn't leave me to rot down here. I'm trying to convince him to come back while he tries to get me to stay. I hope I'm as convincing to him as he is for me.**

**He brought me a newspaper from Konoha. I'm on the front page.**

**Here's the article:**

**HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN**

**A hero is missing from Konoha today, as he has been for the past five weeks. Uzumaki Naruto (15) went missing a little over a month ago without a note or any other indication that he left of his own free will, but the lack of forced entry or signs of a struggle in his apartment have led authorities to believe that it is a simple case of desertation. Close friends claim that Naruto had not been behaving peculiarly as of late and held serious doubts that the disappearance was voluntary. **

**Voicing his support of Uzumaki most strongly is Hyuuga Neji (16), saying, "Naruto would not, under any circumstances whatsoever abandon the village he loves so much. I had plans with him that night. I know he wouldn't break them. The council needs to send someone to look for him instead of wasting time doing nothing."**

**In response to this remark, temporary Rokudaime Hokage Danzo said, "The Hyuuga is known to be in a romantic relationship with the Uzumaki boy. His blind love prevents him from hearkening to the fact that his lover is a traitor to our village and he would do well to stop while he's ahead or we'll be forced to take more severe actions against him."**

**Hyuuga denies being involved with Naruto as anything more than a friend, but his multiple outbursts against the council have gotten him placed on house arrest.**

"**Traitors will not be tolerated, regardless of past actions. Uzumaki Naruto is now registered in the Bingo Book and will be killed upon sight if he tries to return. He made his bed with Uchiha Sasuke (as that is where is has undoubtedly gone) and he is going to sleep in it," says Danzo.**

**They think I'm a traitor… And now I'm a wanted criminal. Even if I escape, I can't go home with KOS orders on me. I'd have to get a letter to someone inside. Maybe a bunshin with a henge on it. But first I actually have to get out of here. **

**I thought the paper was fake at first, but I've been looking at it really carefully and it's not. That means my worst nightmare has come true. I can't even go home. **

**The teme is back with our lunches. He's got a pretty little bento and I'm stuck with lukewarm broth. Cheap asshole. It's okay, I guess, but I really hate it when he eats in front of me. He does it just to fuck with me. God, it looks so good… Tuna, grilled eel, salmon eggs… I've dreamed of meals like that.**

**Teme noticed me staring at him. Said I could have some if I called him Uchiha-sama. I'm never going to do that. I have pride and dignity.**

**I might as well change my name to 'shameless whore'. I took the devil candy. At least I made him promise to never make me do something so humiliating again. **

**Mmm… Tuna. I don't think I've ever eaten this well—and teme knows it. Before he left, he said that I could eat like that every day if only I would join him. I know I'm not getting to him. He's dedicated himself to his task 100% while I'm sitting here trying to pretend that I'll make it back to Konoha tomorrow. He's getting to me and I hate it. I'm starting to run out of options. He's going to hold all the cards if I don't do something soon.**

**Damn teme.**

I0I0I0I0I

_He's cracking. I can see it in his eyes. I won't have to push much longer. _

_I've been having really bad nightmares lately. I wake up in a cold sweat and Karin, who apparently watches me in my sleep, says that I toss and turn and scream. Actually, Suigetsu asked me about it this morning. I can't remember what the dreams are about, but I know they're not the ones I had as a child of the massacre and they're not the ones that had been induced in me by opium that week in Kirigakure. If anything, they're worse than that, which says something because that was single-handedly one of the worst weeks in my life. Fuck drugs, I'm never going near another opium den for the rest of my life. Though I can't help but wonder if it might help ease my dreams… _

_They are full of nothingness, that I know for sure, but that is not what makes me shiver. I do not fear nothingness. I embrace it as part of the darkness. The fears they are being born from are deeply buried within me, a latter part of myself I'm not acquainted with. Suppressed emotions. All I can say is that when I wake, Naruto is always the first thing on my mind. I see him betraying me, discarding me for those fucking Konohans, for Sakura, for Neji. My throat burns when I think of it and there is a great pain in my chest that makes me wonder if I am about to have a heart attack. Why would he ever forsake me when he's been dogging my heels so persistently? He does it for more than Sakura's sake or Konoha's orders. He does it because he's an idiot who wants to save me when I'm beyond redemption. _

_I can't lose him. Not now. Not when I'm so close to having him and everything else I've ever wanted._

_Maybe the dreams are a sign of something. I'm sure they'll stop soon enough._

I0I0I0I0I

**It's been two months, I still haven't been rescued, I'm pretty sure that Karin hates me, and the teme is acting weird. For the last couple of weeks, he's been visiting me real late at night and he always wants to talk about the past, when he was a member of Cell Seven. When it started, he sat in front of the door and left after a few minutes, but each night he sat alight closer and stayed a little longer. Last night, he sat right next to me, shoulder to shoulder. And I put my arm around him. He didn't mind. In fact, he kinda welcomed it. He didn't talk. He sat there. For hours. Then he left at dawn. Karin wanted to know why he was in here. Guess she saw him leaving. I wouldn't tell her anything, so she got mad and left. A couple hours later, she came back with food, apologizing about what she said. I was suspicious, but I didn't smell or taste poison, so I ate it all.**

**Now I'm here, sitting on the pot crapping my guts out, feeling like I'm ready to die.**

**Yeah, I think she hates me.**

**I hope someone comes down here soon. The pot is getting full and I'm out of water, so I'm dehydrated… If I do ever join teme, which I won't, I might kill her if she pulls something like this again.**

**God, what if Neji walked in on me like this? He probably wouldn't be my friend anymore (provided that the stink doesn't finish him off before then). It feels like forever since I've thought about him. I wonder if he's off house arrest yet. And what about Gaara? Does he still like me? Does he think I'm a traitor? I hope he gets his diary back. I don't want someone to find it accidentally and read it. That would be **_**extremely**_** bad. That's blackmail-grade stuff in there. **

**I've been thinking about it, about what kind of boyfriend he'd be. He doesn't talk a lot, but I think that balances out the fact that I do. When I get him to smile, I feel excited because it's like I've accomplished a real task. Being with him makes me feel warm on the inside because I know he understands.**

**Then again, I could say a lot of the same for Neji, couldn't I?**

**Gaaarggggghh…**

**I still feel terrible. The teme is scolding Karin. He got me a new pot and water and toilet paper! I'm so glad I can finally wipe. You're fine without toilet paper as long as it's solid, but you can't really do anything if it's not.**

**Write more when I feel better.**

I0I0I0I0I

_I can't believe Karin. What the hell possessed her to do that? She acts like she's jealous and then gets mad at __**me?**__ Women can be such a pain. I don't think that I'm going to get married. Yes, I want my kekkei genkai to be passed on, but I don't want any of the nasty strings of having a nagging wife attached. If I did, I'd have to have a nice submissive girl—one that was still strong, mind you. Hyuuga Hinata might be suitable. Actually, she fits the bill perfectly. She's a decent fighter, she's got the Byakugan, and she's easy on the eyes. A Byakugan/Sharingan hybrid would be pretty interesting. I don't know exactly how that would work out, but it would be amazing if it were possible. Trouble is, she loves the dobe. I think she'd leave Konoha for him. I know her cousin would. _

_Why are members of the Hyuuga clan so attracted to him?_

_Maybe when they join me, we can work out some sort of arrangement. She gives me a couple of kids and then Naruto can have her as much as he wants. Seems fair enough._

I0I0I0I0I

**Nine weeks, still stuck in the cell, but teme has been making more hospitable. The food is better and he's brought stuff like books and—bless his heart—porn for me to enjoy myself with. We have yet to have an awkward moment involving said porn (I think he was embarrassed about giving it to me, he hid it inside other books he'd brought) and hopefully it'll stay that way. I haven't masturbated since my capture and I started having those damn wet dreams like I was twelve again. I plan on 'relieving' myself after this entry.**

**Anyway…**

**I slept with teme last night.**

**Wait, that doesn't sound right.**

**I didn't have sex with him, we went to sleep together. He came in the middle of the night with a blanket that he spread out on the floor and got under it saying that he couldn't sleep. I know how those nights can be, so I laid next to him and we slept that way. I don't know if it's a good idea to be comfortable with him, but… **

**The other day, bounty hunters from Kirigakure came looking for me. Teme got the wanted papers from their bodies. My head is worth one million ryou. Not 'Wanted: Dead or Alive'. They want my **_**head.**_** This is no joke. I might have to join teme whether or not I want to.**

I0I0I0I0I

_Soon, I'll recruit him soon._

I0I0I0I0I

**Teme brought me more porn today, this time with guys. He was really, super embarrassed. He was bright red when he gave it to me, like a tomato. When I asked why, he said that he wasn't sure which I preferred. I'm going to try looking at it later.**

**We slept together last night—it's a habit now—and he started talking to me. First he wanted to know how I felt about Hinata (weird, right?) and then he said 'never mind'. He stopped talking, so I thought that he was finished, but then he asked, 'When do we lose our innocence, dobe? Do kids who grow up to be shinobi have to kill it sooner? Could we have been different if we hadn't become ninja?' All I could do was hold him, because even though he's a cold, arrogant, stubborn-as-fuck, hateful, vengeance-obsessed bastard, he's still a teenager. He's got as many fucked up emotions as I do, he just suppresses them deeper. We can't help but second-guess the choices in life we make. **

**At first, he was really uncomfortable, but I didn't know what to say, so I kept hugging him, somehow praying that I could make him see the error of his ways and that it was never too late to start over. I think it worked a tiny bit.**

I0I0I0I0I

_I'm confused. I don't like to write about these sorts of things, but I have to get this off my chest or it'll bite me in the ass later. _

_The dobe and I slept together (not sex, actual sleep) again. I don't remember what inane late-night bullshit I must've said, but all of a sudden he started hugging me. I can't remember the last time I've willingly touched somebody (outside of fighting), except maybe Karin when I need to heal myself. It was probably my brother or my mom when I was a kid. I kinda still remember her perfume. Dobe doesn't smell anything like her (especially since he hasn't had a real bath in over two months) but there was something that brought me back to that time, so I buried my nose in his neck and got the best night's sleep I've had in a while._

_I might be crazy, but the dobe can do more than fire me up. He will be an important asset to us, more than I originally believed. In a week, I will ask him directly to join us._

_He will not refuse._

_He cannot refuse._

I0I0I0I0I

**Finally. **

**Finally, I'm free. They came to save me, the people who care about me. All of them were there: Sakura, Hinata, Sai, Kiba, Choji, Shikamaru, Shino(!), Ino, Lee, Neji (of course), and even Gaara! He came all the way from Suna for me! I guess it's because… he really loves me. It still bowls me over when I think of it. To have him feel that way for me is… I dunno. I'm off topic, though.**

**They stormed in and gave 'em hell. It was fantastic, words can't begin to describe how marvelous it was. There were explosions and kunai and sand flying everywhere and Sai was making his ink monsters and I heard it all before they kicked down my door and found me. They forced the locks on the chains and Gaara grabbed me with his sand without even bothering to let me stand up to leave on my own. Teme and Hawk got away in the end, but… It was still insanely awesome.**

**They put me in the hospital, stuck tubes and crap in my arm and that's where I am now. According to Sakura, I'm slightly malnourished, so I get to sit here and eat food. I even have my own bodyguards to keep an eye on me so someone doesn't try to off me while they go explain what happened. Neji's in here right now, Gaara is standing outside the door. **

**I didn't expect him to stay long, seeing as he's the Kazekage and all. I'm sure that he'll be getting an earful from his nation when he gets back. Somehow, I think he'll be able to doge that. He's pretty smart, so he'll figure something out.**

**Neji is with me, holding my hand, thanking the gods that I'm alive and safe in a prayer that he's kept up for the last fifteen minutes. It's good to see him again. We can pick up where we left off. He's even still got his hair braided. He said it was for practical reasons battle-wise and personal superstition that if he left the braid undone for more than anything than general upkeep that I wouldn't return. I had never billed him as the suspicious type.**

**His hand feels good in mine, even if the praying is getting monotonous. I want to hug him and tell him that everything will be fine, but I'm afraid Gaara will look in and make assumptions about us and do something drastic. **

**When Gaara gets drastic, shit happens.**

**Still, I have to talk to him. I'll do that as soon as I get Neji settled down.**

**Neji's switched places with Gaara. We had a bit of an awkward silence, but he said, 'So Temari told me that she'd sent you something. Did you get it?'**

**I said that I did. An empty lie wouldn't solve anything. I told him that I knew everything. That I guiltily read his diary to satisfy my foolish curiosity. That his feelings are no secret to me. He was stone-faced for a couple of seconds, but then he began to cry silently, tears streaming down his cheeks without a sob or whimper. His exact words were 'you weren't supposed to find out, not ever' and he tried to leave. I flared my chakra, a signal between us that mean the topic was serious and that neither of us should try to run away from it. **

**For the sake of time, I'll write what I can remember of our following conversation.**

"**Why didn't you want me to find out?" That was me.**

"**You wouldn't love me back. It's unnatural, that what I heard one of the elders say about a man we have on trial."**

"**What's he charged with?"**

"**Lewd and lascivious behavior, sodomy, and homosexuality."**

"**Oh, Gaara… Come here, sit with me." I patted the spot in bed beside me and he hesitated, though eventually did. **

**He was shaking, refusing to sob, keeping his eyes low. "Am I unnatural, Naruto? Do my homosexual feelings towards you disgust you?"**

"**You're not, Gaara, I swear you're not. I've met some pretty unnatural people and you're definitely not one of them," I said, holding him even though I know Neji is watching us through the wall. He keeps an eye on me when he can. "It's the culture they came from that makes them think that way. Frankly, I don't find it disgusting at all."**

"**We are of the same culture, doesn't that mean I **_**am—**_**"**

"**You're **_**not**_** like them! Don't ever think that they're in the same class as you!" I squeezed him tight against me and for a moment, I felt him stop breathing. I let him go. "You are Sabaku no Gaara. You define yourself. Don't let others do that for you."**

"**What about—"**

"**Gaara, don't be ashamed. In Konoha, this sort of thing is completely normal. A man loving a man is okay."**

"**You don't want to be friends with me anymore, do you? I heard that friends stop being friends when one of them loves the other. This is why I didn't want you to know."**

"**We will always be friends, Gaara. Give me some time to think how I feel about it."**

"**How much do you need? You've had two and half months already, how much longer will it take?" He was bitter, defensive.**

"**I've got other factors to consider. This isn't a yes or no matter."**

"**Is it Uchiha?"**

**That caught me off guard. "No."**

"**Sakura-san?"**

**That's not even a matter that can be really considered anymore. "No, she's pretty much driven home the point that she's not interested."**

"**Then who?"**

**Yeah, I might not be the brightest, but I wasn't about to say, 'oh, just that guy standing right outside'. He might perceive that as me giving him a chance to eliminate any possible opposition and I don't need either of their blood on my hands. "It doesn't matter. I'll have my decision ready tonight."**

"**What time?"**

"**Seven."**

"**I'll hold you to that."**

"**I wouldn't expect any less."**

**Once he regained his composure, he traded places with Neji again and I haven't seen him since.**

**It's six fifty. I have ten minutes left. I put some serious thought into it and—oh shit, I'm out of pa**

I0I0I0I0I

"Hey, um… Could one of you guys get me a notebook?"

0o0

And thus we bring the Color Symphony saga to a close. Unless I decide to do a bonus part, because I recently found out through Dreaming-of-a-Nightmare that there are more of the nocturne type creatures that these fics are based off of. There's at least three: Crimson Jazz, Emerald Blues, and Tornado Step. I have no idea what I'd write them about, though. Except for Tornado Step. I mean, come on. That one's pretty obvious.


End file.
